A Lot of Travel, A Little Bit of History, and a Whole Bunch of Photos

Tag: flowers
(Page 1 of 3)

The Asticou Azalea Garden is located in Northeast Harbor and is a great spot near Acadia to take a quiet walk and appreciate the flowers in a beautifully manicured garden. The garden has been a local staple since 1957. Martha Stewart even wrote in her blog that she enjoys bringing her grandchildren to the gardens. Since we were traveling with two avid gardeners, I knew we needed to stop at this beautiful place!

While strolling this Japanese-inspired garden, you will see flowering cherry trees, rhododendrons, water lilies, Japanese irises and of course, azaleas. One of the oldest plants in the garden is a weeping hemlock near the main bridge that was moved from its original location in 1957 with financial assistance than none other than John D. Rockefeller Jr.

I may have a black thumb, but I always enjoy photographing in botanical gardens. It is a great time to play with focus and depth of field. Middle of the day is not typically a great time for photography, but with this kind of photography, the lighting can lend itself to interesting bokeh! A totally overcast day would be another great time to visit a botanical garden because overcast skies in landscape photos are boring!

A suggested donation of $5 is requested for entrance. The gardens are open daily from sunrise to sunset from May until October. If you have the time during your visit to Mt. Desert Island, I recommend a stop at the Asticou Azalea Gardens! For more information visit gardenpreserve.org/asticou-azalea-garden..

One of the first stops on our narrated tour of the Park Loop Road was at Sieur du Monts Spring and the nature center. Also at this stop is the original Abbe Museum and the Wild Gardens of Acadia. Being that we were traveling with two plant and flower enthusiasts, I knew the gardens would be a popular stop!

Flowers of a Pitcher Plant found in the Wild Gardens of Acadia.

The gardens are filled with 400 species of native plants and are designed to “represent natural plant communities found within Acadia National Park. Mountain, heath, seaside, coniferous forest, and eight other habitats are represented” (Friends of Acadia). It is a great place to get out of the car and stretch your legs along the carefully constructed paths to see the beautiful flora of Maine. Because of the trees, it also stays pretty cool in the gardens on the rare occasion that a heat wave sweeps the area. Near the entrance to the gardens, you can pick up a bird spotting guide and there is also a journal to jot down any birds that you see. It was a very quiet morning on our visit and we were unable to add any sightings to the book, but I did get to take some pictures of the colorful blooms while my mom and grandma admired the gardens and planned how they could recreate them at home.

Also in this area is the Sieur de Monts Spring, which is said to be the birthplace of Acadia National Park. In 1909, George B. Door, the first Superintendent of the park, built a spring house and carved “The Sweet Waters of Acadia” on a nearby rock. This is also the home of Acadia’s nature center which features information about native animals both on the land and the sea, and about the local geology. While there, you can also visit the original location of the Abbe Museum. While there is now a larger location in downtown Bar Harbor, the original Abbe Museum holds a lot of early Native American artifacts from the area in a unique, woodland setting.

Thank you for stopping by! For more information about our Mainely Acadia trip, click here and be sure to check back next week for my next installment! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

Over the stifling hot Memorial Day Weekend, we headed out for a hike in the Loda Lake Wildflower Sanctuary in the Manistee National Forest near White Cloud. This is the only wildflower sanctuary in the National Forest system and is a joint project with the Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan. This is a bit of a hidden gem. There is not much about it on the internet so before visiting, I didn’t know what to expect. Even though it is advertised as having flowers all season long, there weren’t many blooms on our visit. The brochure says that Pink Lady Slippers, Pitcher Plants, Jewelweed, and Bergamot can all by spotted in the sanctuary. I want to come back later in the summer with hope of seeing more color.

The park is also home to some rural Michigan history. In the late 1800s, the Pere Marquete Railway Company harvested most of the area’s timber and then sold the land to railroad stockholders. Frederick Hanson bought the land but didn’t see any value in it until a family friend convinced him that the land could be successfully farmed using scientific methods. After farming the land for several years, Hanson built a summer home and servant’s quarters on the property. Hanson’s son-in-law, Albert Schmidt, an artist from Paris, inadvertently caused the Hansons to miss their departure on the Titanic. As a thank you, Hanson built Schmidt a studio on the property where Schmidt painted many scenes of Loda Lake.

I think it may finally be spring here in Michigan, although there is snow in the 10 day forecast, but I’m just going to pretend I don’t see that and hope it goes away. The longer days and warmer weather mean its time to start planning our summer trips! So far, I have a cruise on the calendar towards the end of summer. In July, I’ve booked a weekend camping trip at Straits State Park in St. Ignace. I am so excited to sit around the campfire under the lights of the Mackinac Bridge again!

We are also talking about heading down to the Hocking Hills in June. I have seen beautiful photos of the scenery there and I would really like to capture it! The park in southern Ohio is full of stunning waterfalls, unique rock formations, and miles of hiking trails.

The final trip of the summer that I am planning is a camping trip in the Porcupine Mountains in the western Upper Peninsula. I have heard so much about the area but the seven hour plus drive is a real deterrent. I am hoping this summer to finally overcome that obstacle and experience Lake of the Clouds and Bond Falls myself.

Where are you planning to visit this summer? Let me know in the comments! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.